My first ever linux distro was mandrake 9.2 . Then I went to slackware 9.1 just to explore the linux world a little more. When I found out that mandrake 10.0 was out, I downloaded it and installed - and hated it. Its too user friendly in some aspects, and not enough in others. Then we have the mandrake club that you are asked to join in it seems like every step of the way. Instead of asking people to help fix bugs and develop further, they ask for money, which is a major off switch for me. So - I am much more geared toward slackware. I like the user control, what comes installed, and how it is not using the RPM package system. What other distro should I try out. At this point, I'm really not installing a distro to keep it for months and months and keep it the same, I am using it to further gain knowledge.

Hey, if you could cope with Slackware, then try my favourite distro - CRUX. It's absolutely minimalist, meaning that you have to compile everything, including the kernel, from source. You're saved having to compile a toolchain, though, because if you did that, then you might as well go LFS. I like it, because it gets to the heart of Linux, and meglomaniacs like me can ultra-customize. Besides, it might help you "further gain knowledge" .